Albania not included in U.S. visa bond pilot

Albania is not included in a new U.S. pilot program requiring visa applicants from select countries to post a bond of up to $15,000, the State Department confirmed Wednesday.

The 12-month program, launching August 20, will initially apply only to Malawi and Zambia, where overstay rates range from 10–14%. The policy targets B1/B2 visas (tourism and business) and is designed to deter visa overstays.

Applicants may be asked to post a bond of $5,000, $10,000, or $15,000, depending on their assessed overstay risk, determined by consular officials.

Albania, which had an estimated 2.3% visa overstay rate in 2023, is not part of the pilot, though officials say the list could expand. The countries with the highest overstay rates include Chad (50%), Laos (35%), and Haiti (31%).

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security says 42% of undocumented migrants entered the U.S. legally, then overstayed.